The Chocolate Fairy
by Wtchfck
Summary: [MadaSaku - AU] Madara went inside and inspected the furnishing that matched the teahouse's name perfectly: The walls were decorated with synthetic branches of cherry blossoms and images of cherry trees; the lights hanging from the ceiling looked like cherry blossom buds. The atmosphere was cozy and there were only a few people.
1. Chapter 1

[I appreciate constructive criticism.]

* * *

 **I.**

Words could not describe how happy Madara Uchiha was because of his lunch break. It was his third day as the CEO of Uchiha Organization, but he would have gladly returned the job to his father if he could. It was impossible since his father appointed him as the next executive during the last public press conference.

Tajima Uchiha had not even talked about this matter with his son beforehand; he had wanted it to be a birthday present. Madara had been surprised because of this special present, indeed he was very perplexed that it was him and not Izuna – his younger yet more devoted brother – who would get the job.

Stiltedly smiling into the cameras before him, Madara had hoped that the 24 December would turn out as the 1 April. Madara was 26 now, and even though he would never say it out loud, he felt overwhelmed with his new duties.

The last days of December were cold, very cold, and he wanted to have something warm inside of him. He also wanted to escape this goddamn district where the Uchiha Organization's gigantic tower of glass stood. He had not wanted to be driven to the city, he had not wanted to be recognized by plebs so he wore his glasses instead of his contacts and had his hair slicked back.

Madara got off from the train after a ride of five minutes at the central station and watched for the signs and the walls leading outside the station. The last time he had been here was a long time ago.

At this time the city was not very vibrant, which he appreciated. It was seasonally decorated, occasionally there was snow. At night the buildings and the sky and were illuminated with bright artificial colours. Madara went passed shoe and clothing stores, turned left, and was suddenly standing before a small tea house.

 _Sakura's tea house and more_ he read from the sign and looked at the beverages list hanging next to the entrance. Madara checked his watch. He could not lose any more time strolling through the whole city. He would fill his stomach with something warm and hopefully delicious in this tea house and leave with for his job with a heavy heart. He hoped that in a week he would get used to his new everyday life.

Madara went inside and inspected the furnishing that matched the tea house's name perfectly: The walls were decorated with synthetic branches of cherry blossoms and images of cherry trees; the lights hanging from the ceiling looked like cherry blossom buds. The atmosphere was cozy and there were only a few people. A discreet scent filled the air that eliminated his bad mood instantly.

"Good day!" greeted him a pink haired waitress friendly. The moment their eyes met, the waitress's green eyes lit up for a second. Madara could not tell the meaning of it. "Please have a seat wherever you want," the waitress told him.

Madara nodded and occupied a seat near the window and looked for the menu once more. The pink haired woman took his order and came back with a hot chocolate ten minutes later. A mountain of cream, marshmallows and caramel sauce protruded from the brown drink which came with a cinnamon roll.

"I will bring you the pastry right away," the waitress said.

Madara detected her name tag. Her name was Sakura Haruno and she might have been the owner of this tea house. He had not realized she has been looking at him the whole time critically.

Sakura Haruno disappeared and Madara gave himself to the hot chocolate. He was not impressed by the way the hot chocolate looked like, it was nothing special after all, and so he grabbed the spoon. He was astonished by the rich taste of the cream that melted in his mouth beautifully, by the thick consistency of the chocolate, which he was used to abroad only. In this country, hot chocolate was a synonym for cocoa drink being spiced up with cream and some fancy extras.

In his opinion, the temperature as well as the sweetness of the hot chocolate was just right; more sugar was not needed. Madara did not want the glass holding such a delicious drink to become empty.

But it was empty soon, and when he finished the pastry it was time to go back to work. Sullen inside, he called the waitress.

"Altogether that makes 315 dollars," she said.

Madara took out the money from his purse blinked. "315?" he asked and raised his eyebrows. "315?" he repeated, after Sakura had nodded. She seemed not to be impressed by his game of brows at all. "Have the prices for chocolate increased or have the people forgotten how to calculate?"

"The prices have increased indeed," Sakura answered, crossing her arms. "I did the calculation right, dear customer. One hot chocolate costs three, a pastry four and a bicycle 308 dollars."

And a bicycle 308 dollars.

Madara was puzzled. That woman must have lost her mind. He put ten dollars on the table. "There you go, keep the change," he said and got up. He wanted to leave the tea house as the waitress, who has followed him, dug her nails into his suit. "Let me go," he commanded with icy serenity. But the young woman did not want to do as he had wished.

"You will pay for my bicycle you broke last week!"

"What in the world a-" Suddenly he remembered the last week's unpleasant happening. He had been robbed and had taken a stranger's bike to chase the thief. At some point the bike had been crushed by a train.

Madara sat down. "I will pay for your bike," he said after a long silence. Her searched the wallet for his bank card but did not find it. He must have left it at home due to his absent-mindedness early in the morning. "I will come back tomorrow and bring you the required money," he assured the woman.

Sakura slammed her hands onto the tabletop. "I'm sorry," she said in a fake sweet voice. "But I don't trust you. I hope you can understand." New guests arrived. She greeted them with a hearty smile and brought them to a table, and then she returned to Madara. He was fascinated by how quick she was able to change her facial expressions and tone of voice.

"Let's do it this way," Madara suggested and removed the watch from his wrist. "This watch is worth over 300. I'll promise to be here tomorrow, but if I won't return until tomorrow evening, you can sell this thing or keep it." He passed her the watch, and she received it with mixed feeling.

"Hm," she murmured while examining it like a pirate his booty. "Alright, if you won't come tomorrow, I'll keep the watch." She took the ten Dollars lying on the table, stuffing the money into her belt bag. "Have a nice day!"

She sailed away, and Madara left. On his way to the train stop he reflected on the waitress and shook his head. Her actions puzzled him, but they did not make him angry.

Standing on the glass tower's ground floor, Madara searched for some coins to buy water at the vending machine. To his amazement, he discovered his bank card among several others. He must have overlooked it because of the unusual circumstances. He frowned.

He shrugged mentally and inserted the coins. _I'm too stressed out_. He took the bottle of water and traveled to his floor with the elevator. His father was expecting him at the waiting lounge. They greeted each other formally and Tajima gave Madara two heavy folders.

"You have to prepare for an upcoming meeting. We will discuss in which branch we will invest next. I know this is quite short-termed, and I also know that your secretary is absent due to illness; however, I cannot postpone the meeting. We have to decide quickly regarding this matter. I'm sure you will handle it well."

* * *

He had started to peruse the first folder yesterday and got four hours of sleep. His secretary was gravely ill and he was completely on his own. Other people had to work, too; he could not force others to do his job. Well, he could in theory, but this would lead to several problems, and he wanted to avoid any inconveniences for the company.

Since he had made a promise he went to the tea house in his lunch break. It was drizzling when he entered the location.

Sakura was talking to a costumer, and Madara silently occupied the same place as yesterday, while looking at the snow on the street being softened up by the rain.

Sakura was surprised to see him and did not even want to try to hide it. "To be honest, I never thought you would come, even though you left your expensive watch here. I apologize," she said when he handed her over an envelope with money.

"I'd like to have a hot chocolate, B2," he requested.

Sakura saw his under eye circles and the exhausted look on his face. "Goodness," she remarked, placing the chocolate on his table, "did you stay up all night?"

Normally he did not like consuming extremely sweet things every day; but he had to satisfy his chocolate need, and besides: The first impression could be misleading. Maybe today's chocolate would taste differently, not as delicious as the day before. Along with the hot drink he had ordered a sandwich.

With heavy eyelids Madara looked at the waitress. He did not like people who meddled in other people's affairs. "Work," he answered laconically.

"I see," Sakura said. "How's the chocolate?"

"It's good. I'm not used to this kind of consistency in this country. Most of the time…"

"… It's like cocoa," she completed his sentence, seemingly happy about the compliment. "I'm glad you like it. Are you a great lover of hot chocolate? It might be your favourite drink, which is understandable, but we have plenty of other hot drinks you can try."

Yesterday her deadly glances had been like stitches; today her green eyes were shining. Either she was terribly sorry because of her yesterday's actions or it was an attempt to make him a regular costumer. As long as she served him delicious chocolate he would not mind coming here on a regular basis.


	2. Chapter 2

[Thank you very much for your comments!]

* * *

 **II.**

The next time he visited the tea house on a Tuesday, ordering a hot chocolate again which Sakura brought him promptly. She disappeared and Madara devoted himself to his hot drink. All the sugar he consumed strangely made him even more tired and he fell asleep soon.

When Sakura detected him sleeping she smiled. She did not know about the meeting he had to attend after his lunch break, and so she let him sleep. After all, tiredness had been written all over his face. Maybe the tea house was the only place he could get some snatch of sleep. Sakura took the empty glass to the kitchen. When she started cleaning the table, she looked at the sleeping man and could swear that she had seen him somewhere before. Filled with curiosity, she bent her upper body over the table, and suddenly his eyes opened.

Heat occupied her body because she was caught in the act, whereas Madara blinked perplexedly and inspected his watch. He cursed loudly, drawing the attention of the other costumers. Madara jumped off his seat, put his coat on and grabbed his briefcase before hurrying to the door. "I'll pay you tomorrow, I'm in a hurry!" he shouted before leaving.

Sakura crossed her arms and shook her head. Late payment seemed to be in this bloke's blood. However, she trusted him. He had given her the money to buy a new bike, after all. Maybe she was naïve but she trusted him and was sure he would come tomorrow.

* * *

It was one o'clock, but he has not come yet. Half an hour she was looking at the door continuously so she could greet him straightforward; but he did not come and she felt disappointed. She could not even tell why she struggled with disappointment. She forgot that he owed her money, and at some point she gave up waiting for him. _Well, it's okay, after all one shouldn't drink hot chocolate so often. … But he promised he would come. And besides, we have lots of other beverages aside from hot chocolate. He could have ordered tea today, for instance, if he's fed up with chocolate!_

She had served all the costumers when a tall man entered the tea house. Sakura wanted to greet him, but she immediately noticed that something was off: The tall man was wearing a pair of big sun glasses, and a white mask covered the lower half of his face. He looked around, and his presence made Sakura's blood run cold. She had realized the man possessed a gun even before he pointed it at her.

"Hands up!" he said with a hollowed voice through the mask. The customers started screaming, throwing their bodies onto the floor or their hands in the air when they saw the gun. "You too!" he shouted at Sakura. She had been too scared and flustered to follow his order. Gulping, she raised her shaky arms. That guy did not look like an amateur. He yelled yet he waved his gun with extraordinary calm; his movements were neither clumsy nor hectic.

"Pink haired one, come here!", he barked at Sakura. "Take this bag and put all the money from the register into it. Now move! I don't have all day."

She was so nervous and scared that she could barely walk. Sakura was unable to take her eyes off the gun.

What happened next could have been scenes from an action movie. Madara appeared all of a sudden in front of the door. Sakura stopped and looked with wide eyes in the direction of the entrance. She almost screamed when the armed robber turned around to see what was going on behind him.

Fortunately, Madara grasped the situation in an instant. He dropped his briefcase, threw himself onto the armed man, dragging him down to the floor; the gun slid underneath a table. The robber dug his nails into Madara's upper arms to get rid of him, but Madara punched him several times in the face until his mask turned red and his glasses broke.

He was the same man that had robbed Madara the other day. Madara had chased him till an underground station. When he had leaped at the robber from the bike, he had been able to get his briefcase back. Last time the perpetrator had gotten away.

"Haruno, pick up the gun!" Madara yelled.

Sakura flinched, and then she hastily followed his direction. "W-What now?" she asked, holding the death bringing object in her fingers.

Madara gestured Sakura to come beside him. She was standing behind his back all the time, holding the gun in her sweaty hands, pointing it at the man lying on the floor while Madara called the police.

* * *

The police had left. Sakura and Madara were sitting silently at the very back. She had turned off the lights and the 'open' sign to 'closed'. The girl working in the kitchen had not heard anything; Sakura had sent her home.

"Listen," Sakura started speaking shyly. She interrupted herself by shaking her head. "Never mind, it's nothing. Let's go home, I'm done for today."

They left the tea house together.

"Where do you live?"

Sakura who had just closed the doors looked at him from the side in bewilderment. "Why do you ask?"

"… So I can accompany you. Don't hide from me that you're scared. Back there you wanted to ask me to bring you home safely. But you didn't ask. Why?"

Sakura smiled to herself. "I don't want to cause any inconveniences to you," she murmured.

"At home nothing but work is waiting for me. I'm procrastinating by accompanying you."

And so they walked over the streets illuminated by street lights, towards the underground station, while snowflakes were falling down to earth in silence.

With Madara near to her, Sakura felt safe and secure. She could not stop thinking about Madara having dropped his belongings and thrown himself onto the armed man. Just like that. _A heroic yet foolish action_ , she thought. She peered at him; his gaze was straightforward.

It turned out that Sakura lived in a flat on the third floor fifteen minutes from the tea house. She thanked him before disappearing in the stairwell. Madara called a taxi.

* * *

The next day he did not come even though he promised. But the day after he surprised her with his appearance and dark, vast crescents under his lower lash lines that made his eyes look sunken.

"Good day," she greeted Madara, astonished by how happy she was to see him. Madara went to his regular seat and ordered a cup of tea which Sakura served him quickly. She did not go away; she continued staying beside him, holding the tray in front of her chest, and even though she has not said anything so far, he could tell she was curious and wanted to ask him lots of questions.

"Work," he said, taking the documents he needed to go through till the day after tomorrow out of his briefcase.

Sakura got a glimpse on the documents when she turned on her heel. That Mister was really busy. Now she was quite certain that he looked similar to someone she had seen before.

When she went past him the next time, holding a tray with coffee and pastry on it, Madara sighed deeply. He then crossed his arms behind his head, throwing it over the back of the chair. His eyes were closed. He was visibly overstrained and frustrated. She badly wanted to know what made this man sigh and forced him to stay up whole nights.

"I know it's none of my business, but can you tell me why you are so busy these days?" she finally asked. "Of course, you don't have to answer that question… I just thought that I could give you a hand."

Madara smiled. "I broke your bike and I broke a promise, and you still want to help me, Miss Haruno?"

"Well, you gave me the money to buy a new bike. Yesterday you were busy, I guess, so you didn't come. Now you're here. And last but not least, you performed a heroic deed." A smile, friendly and sincere, appeared on her face. "Your next order is on the house. If I can help you with something, please tell me. You could also have a chat with me, maybe this will do some good."

She wanted to give him a helping hand by all means. Madara lowered his gaze, looking at the documents, and then he looked again at Sakura. He told her to sit down. "Last time," he said. "I was almost late for an important meeting. I had to prepare a lot for this meeting. I don't hold my current position for long, so I had a short-termed access to the significant information. These days I have to read a lot, partially things that had been collected for several years." Madara got a headache by simply thinking about the folders lying at home. "I wish my secretary… Well, I can't have one so I have to do everything on my own."

He was lying to her because he did not want her to know who he really was. Madara was afraid Sakura might treat him differently if she got to know that he was Madara Uchiha. He liked her friendly and open-minded manner. Madara had to admit that she had impressed him with her nature the first time they met. Although he was dressing up to become another person in front of her, he considered it to be refreshing to be confronted and treated like an ordinary man.

"May I have a look?" Sakura asked. Madara regarded her question somewhat skeptically, and she said: "I had a professional training. The company I received the training at decided not to keep me. I couldn't find a job, so I started working here. The tea house belongs to my father. He's ill and has to stay home, that's why I'm in charge here, sort of."

Madara gave her the folder.

Sakura scanned it to get an overview. While she was doing so, she nodded a few times, looking highly concentrated. "Until when do you have to read this?"

"The meeting is on Monday."

"You know what? I'm going to take this home and bring you a proper summary tomorrow," Sakura offered.

Madara was not sure what to think of this idea. On one hand, Sakura could become his unofficial secretary. This way he had lesser work to do. On the other hand, he expected something bad happening when the truth came to light. If this happened, Sakura would not care about his heroic deed anymore.

"Please let me help you," she begged, touching his wrist.

She did not touch his shoulder or his hand, but it felt like they had been intimate with each other for a second. His heartbeat sped up and his stomach was filled with warmth; the exact same warmth that a savoury, thick, hot chocolate induced to one's body. "Yes," he said with a hoarse voice. Then he cleared his throat and repeated steadily: "Yes, you can take the folder with you if you want to."

Never had he seen someone being so happy about a task as Sakura.


	3. Chapter 3

**III.**

At home Madara did not know in which activity he should engage himself. He stopped in the middle of his living room and wondered if it had truly been a good idea to entrust Sakura with the folder. What if she was not done until tomorrow? He decided to stop thinking about this issue and to relax a bit. Madara was used to work at home; hence he had difficulties not to think about folders and paperwork. Finally, he sank into an armchair and took a deep breath. Before his new occupation he had always found time to read a book. Now he simply was not in the mood to read, and so he shifted to a more comfortable position, laying his hands into his lap. He dozed off shortly after.

In his sleep Madara met Sakura. When his eyes opened he had still fragments of his dream in mind: He remembered sitting at a desk. Sakura was as delicate as a fairy while serving him hot chocolate, smiling at him.

It was 4:30 am, Madara realized. He had been sleeping nine hours straight. The last time he had slept so much was long ago. He felt rested on one side, whereas on the other side his limbs and head were heavy. That was the consequence of having no sleep for days followed by an adequate amount of slumber.

It was Saturday. Moreover, it was early in the morning; too early to have a decent breakfast. For this reason he picked up the book he had started reading before he found himself in a maelstrom of work and sleep deprivation.

'Sakura's teahouse' opened at ten. Madara appeared only five minutes past opening time, folding his drenched umbrella which he then put into the umbrella stand at the door. He had had breakfast already, and he had also swallowed a headache pill; his head had started to pound hellishly, and he would have been able to take control of it himself. Madara ordered just coffee which was brought to him by Sakura's father.

Kizashi apparently recovered from his illness, and Madara was surprised to see him. Sakura had told her parents yesterday about the other day's incident in the tea house. Kizashi wanted to thank Madara for his deed, shaking Madara's hand while shedding tears of gratitude.

Fortunately, Sakura maneuvered her father to the kitchen before coming back with the folder. She had added three handwritten pieces of paper to it. With a smile on her face, she sat down, facing Madara. She had given her very best and had put makeup on; her face looked fresh and well-rested.

Her handwriting was remarkable as well as legible; the letters were not scattered around randomly on the paper but lined side by side like soldiers.

Madara took a spectacles cloth out of his pocket to eradicate a bothersome stain on the left lense, taking off his glasses. Sakura's eyes became small slits, and the tip of her nose twitched. He seemed suspiciously familiar now. But where in the world had she seen him before?

Madara put on his glasses and started inspecting all of the lines carefully. When he had finished he asked her: "That's it?"

Sakura nodded slowly. "Yes. Everything relevant is written on these three pages."

Their eyes met and Madara smiled. "Thank you, Miss Haruno."

Completely taken aback, Sakura's lips became a thin line. She nodded; her eyes were shining.

As soon as he left, Sakura began walking up and down the room as tigers do in captivity. She was thinking in great exertion, knitting her brows tightly, one fist clenched to her mouth. She was thinking of Madara's black hair, of his dark eyes that looked like coal and she thought of his pale skin. And she was also thinking of his smile that filled her with beautiful emotions. But it did not want to occur to her where she had seen him before. Instead she realized Madara was a handsome man, looking sleek in his suit. Preoccupied with her thoughts she stepped to the window and gazed at the grey sky. Suddenly, she came up with a peculiar idea.

* * *

The next time they talked through most of the lunch break; he praised the notes she had made for him, telling her about the meeting's good outcome.

She had made the decision to follow him so she could find out more about him. He left the tea house, and Sakura took up the pursuit. Inconspicuously, she sneaked behind him. He did not notice her neither on the street nor at the train and neither did he notice her on the escalator. It seemed as if he had cut out the whole world, following a red line that only he was able to perceive.

Sakura came to a district which she had never been at, but which she had seen on television or in the newspaper. It was the district in which the gigantic tower of glass stood. It belonged to the Uchiha Organization. The tower was 32 floors high and was this city's largest tower.

Sakura had turned into a pillar of salt, silently admiring the tower that was used as an office for the most part. But she remembered suddenly why she was here in the first place: Madara entered the building before her eyes, making Sakura's jaw drop and her eyes widen. _Dear God_ , she thought, putting a hand in front of her mouth. All of a sudden she realized that she did not even know the name of this man, although he made her feel a special way. At least she had got to know where he worked at. _He must earn a lot of money_ , she thought.

Her brain was working excessively on the way back. A name came to her mind; she would make sure to search the internet for this certain name once she was home. She could have used her mobile phone to quickly typing in the name immediately after closing time, but she did not want to.

* * *

She removed her coat and her shoes, rushing to her laptop. Nervously, Sakura typed in the name into the search field, and then she pressed enter. Now she was looking at the same man's face that she has seen at the tea house periodically.

He was Madara Uchiha, the eldest son of Tajima Uchiha who had appointed Madara as the new CEO.

Sakura was absolutely overwhelmed by this discovery. She ran her fingers through her hair, sinking deeper into the chair without detaching her gaze from the screen. The picture she had zoomed into showed Madara without glasses. His hair was not slicked back but covered his right eyes and framed the sides of his handsome, pale face.

How should she treat him now that she knew the truth? Did he want to keep his true identity a secret? Or did he assume that she knew? She had been quite nasty to him on the first day. He did not seem to hold a grudge against her because of this, though. At least she thought so. Sakura started to gnaw on her nails. She hoped he would not come tomorrow so she could come to terms with this incredible information.

Sakura tossed and turned in her bed the whole night without one single minute of sleep. She simulated whole conversations in her mind, and when she looked at the time she was horrified by the numbers telling her it was six o'clock in the morning. At this moment she was not even exhausted – the opposite was the case: She felt like she had consumed an enormous amount of coffee beforehand. Everything was different when she started getting ready for her current job. She would have preferred to lie down, but Sakura could not let her father down.

Sakura's hopes were in vain: Madara was sitting at his table, reading the menu. She watched him from afar like some wild animal she did not dare to encounter. When he started searching for her with his eyes because he clearly wanted to order something he eventually detected her. Sakura pulled a wry face when he gestured her to his table. Having no choice, she smoothed her features and sailed towards Madara.

"There you go, Mr. Uchiha." She put the tea he ordered on the table. Suddenly she realized she had called him by his name. Like a man that gazed upon the Gorgon that had snakes in place of her hair, she became motionless, still holding the handle of the teacup, her head ready to explode.

"You… know who I am?" he asked incredulously.

She gulped and blinked. Even if she had started to lie to him she would not have known how to eliminate that horrible mishap of her. Sakura nodded slowly. He was obviously taken by surprise, but he also seemed to be relieved.

He was indeed very relieved by her having found out the truth; he would have felt uncomfortable if he had had to explain everything on his own sooner or later. He wondered how she found out about his true identity, but he did not want to interrogate her. "Please don't call me by my real name around other people," he requested with a lowered voice hoping she would treat him as before.

Once more, Sakura nodded since she could now understand why he did not want to be recognized by others. His work was tumultuous and he expected to find peace at least at this place. She told him that she would bring him his piece of cake he wanted; then she disappeared in the kitchen, leaning against the door with a fast beating heart.

Madara Uchiha. He was the son of the man that practically ruled over this whole city. Now this city did not belong to Tajima anymore, it was Madara's now. Tajima had appointed him the new executive. This powerful man had entered and left her father's small tea house several times. Her affection towards him was the icing of the cake. Maybe this was some modern fairy tale, but on no account could this have been reality!

Sakura took a deep breath, trying to pull herself together. She opened the door a bit to look for Madara.

"Sakura, is everything alright?"

She winced. Her father looked at her with questioning eyes while holding a loaded tray. His daughter looked like someone who has been turned into a shy animal. His daughter was not shy most of the time.

"You won't believe me!" she exclaimed with excitement, but she bit her lips instantly, looking at the door she was congesting. "It's nothing," she then said and opened the door so her father could serve the costumers. Madara asked her not to call him by his real name when others were around, and he surely would disapprove of her telling other people he liked to visit this tea house


	4. Chapter 4

**IV.**

Sakura sighed. She could imagine that he wanted to be treated as before, so that his secret would not come to light. But she had difficulties even thinking of him the way she thought of him at those days on which she had considered him a simple employee working at an insignificant company. They have become cliffs that were separated by a huge canyon.

It came to her mind that he had ordered cake, and she moved away from the door.

Madara watched her facial expressions and gestures whenever they communicated. He had anticipated her reaction: She was nervous and trying to avoid eye contact desperately, pushing her hair sheepishly behind her ears or playing with her fingers. In the end, he was actually happy leaving the tea house, because he would not have been able to bare her behavior any longer. Wistfully, he gazed through the window. Sakura was cleaning the floor, and he only looked at her. As she lifted her head their eyes met for a short time; Madara then turned his back and walked away.

* * *

The next day Madara did not show up at the tea house. He spent his lunch break and the upcoming days inside the Uchiha Tower, consuming ordinary black coffee, sandwiches from the vending machine or the canteen food.

On the fourth day he became fed up with those, even though the food was not of bad quality. He also became very choleric, excitable as if he had started a withdrawal, and on the same day he confessed to himself that he was missing the tea house, and especially Sakura. No matter how hard he tried, he could not banish her from his thoughts. Like a ship, she had lowered her anchor deep into his brain, refusing to hoist it any time soon, it seemed.

In the evening, when it had turned dark already, he accidently came across Sakura's notes, contemplating them extensively. He wished he was an ordinary employee so he had not had to keep his true identity a secret.

At first Madara wanted to throw Sakura's notes away, but it turned out he did not have the heart to do so. He hid the notes at the bottom of a drawer.

Leaving the Uchiha Tower, he asked himself what Sakura might think of him now. He felt scabby because he had not visited her for days – almost as if they had settled an appointment which he did not attend. It was the first time he was questioning his own behavior and not that of other people. The cold air made him cool down a bit.

"Wait, stop! What do you want from me? Don't tell me it's forbidden to idly stand in front of a building!"

Startled, Madara looked around; that voice was extremely familiar.

Sakura had been waiting for hours for Madara to come out, so she could talk to him. An employee had considered her highly suspicious so he had called the police. Now two policemen were trying to force Sakura to leave as if she was a beggar.

Madara did not intervene immediately; he was confused seeing Sakura at his workplace. However, as soon as he had found to himself, he walked towards the two policemen. "It's okay, she's with me," he explained with a gloomy voice, making the two men depart at once. "Are you alright?" he asked Sakura. He had witnessed her staying up to the policemen, and he marveled at her exorbitant courage that had deflagrated as soon as he had appeared.

"Yes," she answered tentatively.

"How long have you been standing here?"

Sakura shrugged. "Couple of hours, I guess," she answered with a false causality.

She wore neither gloves nor a hat; at the same time a biting cold was occupying the streets. "Come with me," he demanded, and she followed him to his car. "Get in the car." He turned the independent vehicle heater on, but he did not turn on the lights. They were embraced by darkness while Sakura's fingers and ears started to warm up.

"You've been waiting for me, haven't you?" he stated. "Why?"

"I asked myself what you were doing… And if I, by chance, did something wrong," Sakura answered veridical. "I want to know the reason for your absence."

For a moment he considered to take her to his place, to make her tea and sit together in his kitchen while trying to explain himself. But that would have been uncalled for. "I'll drive you home, is that okay?" he asked, and he started the car after she had answered the affirmative. "I realized you treated me differently," he said after a while. "This is the reason I decided not to come to the tea house any longer. I wanted to be treated as an ordinary man." As an ordinary man? Whom was he trying to fool? He wanted Sakura to fall in love with him head over heels.

They spent the remaining driving journey in silence, and when Madara said they had arrived at their destination Sakura unstrapped the buckle. "Thanks," she said. "Please come to the tea house tomorrow." She opened the door and got off, holding the door. "I didn't wait for you just because I asked myself where you were at. I missed you. I… will give my best to treat you like an ordinary man. I don't care about your money or your position. Just… please give me some time to get used to Madara Uchiha." She closed the door and walked away in a gentle pace while waves of commotion tormented her body.

Madara was sitting numbly for a time, and then he raked through his hair. _I missed you_. If only she knew… He had been missing her, too. She had the same feelings for him as he did for her, and this certainty made him happy. He turned on the car and drove home, determined to ensure Sakura would be by his side the coming time.

* * *

 _He won't come_ , she repeated in her head the next day. _He won't come_. The only one Sakua could think about was Madara. Whenever she had a minute to relax she asked herself how she was able to perform her work adequately. _He won't come_ , she thought with a painfully throbbing heart when she brought a costumer tea and pastry.

But Madara came and she could not suppress her smile. When he sat down, she appeared in front of him, taking his order. Since everyone was served she sat on the opposite side and looked at him with sparkling eyes.

Madara sipped on his coffee. "I want to submit you an offer," he told her. He took a folder with printed pages out of his briefcase and slipped them to Sakura. She read the first bold sentences and then looked at him baffled.

"My secretary is on sick leave for the next three months." He pointed his chin at the folder. "Right in front of you is the contract I'm offering to you. So if you want to, you will get a temporary post as my secretary. With this training, which you will be paid for, all doors within the Uchiha Org. will be open to you. If you want to accept the offer, I need you to sign twice on the last page. Furthermore, I need a motivation letter, your curriculum vitae, and your testimonials."

She looked at him with incredulity and could not believe his words, even though the contract was lying in front of her. As his features were taken over by an amused expression, she lowered her gaze and continued reading. She had to get up twice to take care of her work, and when it was time for Madara to leave she asked him: „Why did you bring me this contract?"

Madara paid for his coffee and gave her a generous tip. Then he stood up and dressed himself to leave. "I have practical and egoistic reasons," he explained. "As I said before, my secretary is ill and you would be a great replacement." He took his briefcase and moved; Sakura followed him. At the door he came to a halt. "And the egoistic reason is that I want _you_ , _Sakura_ , to be close to me. I will give you the time you need to accustom to my person." It seemed his eyes had become even darker; his lips were open as if he wanted to add something to the things he had said before. But he did not do it. Without a word they were looking at each other for some time before he bid her goodbye. "I'll be here tomorrow."

Sakura's knees were weak and her heart was beating uncontrollably inside her chest. It took some time before she could move her limbs again, walking towards the table she and Madara had been sitting at. During her break she gave her fullest attention to the contract, reading every sentence carefully and multiple times.

Her father realized Sakura's assertiveness, but he did not want to bother her since she looked concentrated. He approached her noiselessly, crossing his arms behind his back and arching his upper body over the table at which his daughter was sitting.

Kizashi understood quickly that Sakura was dealing with a contract. When Sakura, who has not realized yet that her father was behind her, turned the page, Kizashi's eyes almost oozed out of their sockets. His daughter would earn lots of money. "T-Tat…" he stuttered, making Sakura flinch. She too had been overwhelmed by the digits on the paper.

"Hm," Kizashi murmured after Sakura had explained everything to him. "You should sign the contract. You don't receive such an offer every day, do you?"

Of course she knew how stupid it would be not to sign this contract. Yet she was insecure. Not because of the job, but because of Madara. Feeling mentally exhausted, she leaned back on the chair.

"I will open the tea house," her father informed her. "Don't think about the contract now. Do it in the evening." Kizashi Haruno smiled at his daughter before standing up.

* * *

Sakura took a deep breath and exhaled with her lids closed. Then she looked into her pocket mirror to check the image of her face. Her eyes looked bigger due to the black line on her upper lash line and mascaraed lashes; the peachy eyeshadow made her irides look even greener; her lips, moisturized and slightly enhanced, very ready to kiss, while her cheeks were painted in a delicate pink.

She was standing at the door leading to Madara Uchiha's office, wearing a white blouse and black, long pants. In her bag she had stored a Thermos flask with hot chocolate, and the bag seemed to get heavier and heavier by each minute. She either looked at her reflection or winced at her black pumps. It was her first day at the _Uchiha Organization_. Because of her excitement she had not been able to sleep. However, she was quite awake, probably because of being astir. With swift fingers she took her mobile phone out of her coat, which she had thrown over her left arm, and checked the time.

Sakura bit her lip. _I need to go in now_. She threw her shoulders back and knocked at the door. She was given the permission to enter shortly after and pressed the door handle down.

Madara was sitting behind his desk when she entered. "Good morning," he greeted her, putting away a folder he had been inspecting before. He did not wear glasses and his hair was falling on his forehead. "I'll show you your office, it's the next door." He evaded his desk. "Is something wrong?" he wanted to know when he realized her gazes were dedicated to him only.

"No, everything's fine," his new secretary assured him. "You're looking good."

A smile played on Madara's lips. "You too, Miss Haruno," he said, suppressing the desire to take her into his arms and kiss her passionately. "Make me some coffee," he requested, wondering why her lips had suddenly turned into a thin slit. He first showed her the office – a bright and spacious room –, then he introduced her to the modern kitchen that was located at the end of the hallway; thereafter he went back to his own office.

When Sakura placed a cup on his desk, he blindly grabbed it and took a sip to it.

It was hot, thick chocolate, and suddenly his new position did not feel terrible at all.

 **END**

* * *

 **That's all folks! Actually, this short story is a part of a project called "#cracksmeup", dealing with crack pairings. I hope none of you is** **disappointed by the absence of a kissing scene. But, in my opinion, a kiss would have been... incongruos, I guess, at least within this story. Please share you thoughts with me. Thank you for your attention!**


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